“Captain America” photo shows battered, bruised Chris Evans

By Sean O’ConnellHollywoodnews.com: First we wondered who would be cast. Then, we wondered what the suit would look like. Now that we’ve received most of our answers regarding “Captain America: First Avenger,” the last lingering issue is how much action will Chris Evans face in what’s amounting to be an origin story?

By the looks of this exclusive picture, Cap’s going to take a beating by the end of his debut film.

The dents, dings and scratches applied to Captain America’s shield suggest quite a battle. You can see them in a photo posted to MTV. We’ve also posted it below.

We know Cap is facing off against his rival, the Red Skull (played buy Hugo Weaving). And since the film’s set during World War II, we’re figuring on some explosive military action.

Will most of it be in the third act, after Evans has stepped into the suit? Will director Joe Johnston figure out how to balance the peril so that the first half of “First Avenger” has some zing?

“Captain America” arrives in theaters in 2D and 3D on July 22. This new photo completely whets our whistle, and we’re eager to sink our Marvel teeth into “Thor,” at the very least, on May 6.

About Sean O'Connell

Sean O'Connell is a nationally recognized film critic. His reviews have been published in print ('The Washington Post,' 'USA Today') and online (AMC FilmCritic.com, MSN's Citysearch) since 1996. He's a weekly contributor to several national radio programs. He is a longstanding member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS), and the Southeastern Film Critics View all articles by Sean O'Connell Association (SEFCA).